NHTSA Complaint #10456590 — 2003 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER

THERE ARE TWO SPEEDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS. IT WAS ON THE FREEWAY DRIVING BACK HOME WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT ABOUT 65 MPH. LATER, AFTER EXITING THE FREEWAY AND DRIVING FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THE RADIATOR HOSE BLEW OFF FROM THE PRESSURE, SHOOTING COOLANT AND CONTENTS OF THE RADIATOR BACK ONTO THE ENGINE (4 CYLINDER). I WAS GOING 40 MPH AT THE TIME. THE THERMOSTAT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN WORKING BECAUSE I WASN'T READING ANY OVERHEATING GOING ON, THOUGH THERE OBVIOUSLY WAS. AFTER GETTING IT DIAGNOSED, APPARENTLY THE BOLTS WERE STRIPPED, THE HEAD GASKET BLEW, AND THE ENGINE GOT TOO HOT. I AM NOW ASKED TO PAY ALMOST $3,000 TO REBUILD THE ENGINE (RETHREAD, ETC.). THIS THING WITH THE HEAD GASKET AND THE BOLTS FAILING AT RELATIVELY LOW MILEAGE (114,000 IN MY CASE) SEEMS TO BE A RECURRENT PROBLEM WITH THIS PARTICULAR MAKE AND MODEL. I HAD BEEN DRIVING IT AND KEEPING IT WELL MAINTAINED FOR ABOUT FIVE YEARS WITH RELATIVELY FEW PROBLEMS UNTIL THIS HAPPENED. *TR